Vol. 64, No. 25, June 23, 1967. 6 pages. View this issue
Redress claims and civil rights ran through the news of this six-page issue. A consent decree filed in federal court provided for redemption of unpaid Yokohama Specie Bank yen certificates, with a December 1, 1967 deadline for claimants. Jerry Enomoto welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision striking down anti-miscegenation laws, and Mike Masaoka wrote about the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. William Marutani described his civil rights legal work in the South, and Edison Uno wrote to Chief Justice Earl Warren about the 1942 Evacuation.
Other pages cover a Nisei Week queen candidate crowned in East Los Angeles, a new Riverside chapter, and a retirement credit bill for Japanese American state employees. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Saburo Kido, Alan Kumamoto and Jeffrey Matsui round out the issue, along with John Modell’s commentary on the Issei and a scholarship for a San Mateo valedictorian.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Miss East L.A. Crowned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Stella Sadako Sano, 22, was introduced as the Miss East Los Angeles candidate for the 1967 Nisei Week queen contest at the chapter’s Emerald Ball. Proceeds from the ball are earmarked for the chapter’s scholarship program.
- Orange County JACL to Sponsor Riverside Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seven board members and a past president of Orange County JACL met in Riverside on May 29 to organize a new chapter. The board appointed interim officers and named a JACL national staff member to assist.
- Marutani in Forceful Defense of Uneducated Negroes in the South, by Ellen Nakamura, page 2. JACL Legal Counsel William Marutani described his civil rights legal work in Louisiana and Mississippi at the Seabrook JACL installation dinner. He urged outside legal assistance for Southern Negroes and called on citizens to take part in the civil rights revolution.
- Monterey JACL Cites Two Youth, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Monterey Peninsula JACL presented its $100 savings bond achievement award to James Omoto and Evelyn Kageyama, top graduating seniors. The awards were presented at a community picnic.
- Former WRA Officials to Speak at EDC Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Former WRA officials Dillon Myer, Philip Glick, Thomas Holland, and Morrill Tozier will discuss their wartime problems at the Eastern District Council banquet on July 15 in Washington. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto will review lessons learned from the evacuation experience.
- Miss Progressive Westside JACL to Be Introduced, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Darlene Hiroto, corresponding secretary of the Progressive Westside JACL, will be introduced as the chapter’s candidate for the 1967 Miss Nisei Week queen contest. The introduction will take place at the chapter’s Crazy Night party.
- San Mateo Valedictorian Wins JACL Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Florence D. Amamoto, a four-year straight-A student and class valedictorian at San Mateo High, received the San Mateo JACL scholarship. She will attend Stanford in the fall.
Commentary
- Thank You, Mary Knoll, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto bids a temporary farewell to Father Clement and thanks him for his years of service. He also welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision striking down anti-miscegenation laws as a step toward democracy’s spirit.
- First Negro Justice, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka reports on President Johnson’s nomination of Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, the first Negro so honored. He notes Marshall’s landmark civil rights litigation and suggests the nomination reflects national progress, while renewing JACL’s call for a Japanese American federal judge.
- Visit to Washington, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa describes a family tour of Washington D.C. arranged with help from Mike and Mary Masaoka. He also recounts a visit with former WRA director Dillon Myer, who reflected on the fight for Nisei rights during the war.
- All About Cherries, by Wart Yosh Hotta, page 4. A humorous column comparing 1930 JACL fundraising with 1967, touching on Senator Daniel Inouye’s new book and housing discrimination against hippies. The columnist closes with observations on UN Security Council debates and cherry prices.
- Service to Humanity, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto examines the JACL’s youth program and whether chapter sponsorship should give way to more services for youth. He questions whether youth should be given exposure and opportunity rather than a stereotyped adult structure.
- Picnic at Pomona, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 4. Matsui recounts attending the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community picnic, where the new San Gabriel Valley JACL staffed an information table. He describes the picnic’s quirks with humor and his encounter with a spirited toddler.
- Day of Departure, by Saburo Kido, page 4. Kido recounts the first part of his 1967 travelogue, describing last-minute preparations and the JAL flight to Honolulu. He offers tips on liquor purchases for JACL tourists heading to Japan.
National
- Retirement Credit Bill for Evacuees Likely to Pass, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman Edward Elliott’s AB 1607 would extend the retirement credit cutoff to July 1, 1968, for Japanese American state and school employees who relocated during WWII. Final enactment appears likely as the bill progresses in the California Legislature.
- Biased Private Clubs May Lose Exemption, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Assembly passed a bill by John J. Miller removing state tax exemption for private clubs whose bylaws require racial or religious discrimination. The measure passed 47-0 and now goes to the Senate.
- Hawaiian Statue for National Statuary Hall of King Kamehameha Exposed as Fake, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hawaii Governor John Burns signed a bill appropriating $50,000 to duplicate a statue of King Kamehameha for the U.S. Capitol, but the statue has been exposed as a fake. Jean Charlot revealed the 1883 statue was commissioned by Walter Murray Gibson and modeled on photographs of Robert Hoapili Baker.
- Restoration of Right to Revoke Citizenship Asked, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Burt Talcott urged a constitutional amendment restoring Congress’s right to revoke citizenship after the Supreme Court struck down the 1940 law. He argued the ruling leaves traitorous conduct without consequence.
Incarceration & Redress
- Consent Decree Filed for Redemption of Yens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A consent judgment filed in U.S. District Court provides for redemption at prewar exchange rates of unpaid Yokohama Specie Bank yen certificates held by claimants who filed with the Office of Alien Property. Roughly 6,000 claimants may be entitled to payment, and notice must be filed by December 1, 1967.
- Yen Claims Provisional Decree (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 1. The provisional consent decree provides that notice be sent to known claimants and that opposition may be expressed by December 1, 1967. Claimants who fail to update their addresses with the Office of Alien Property may lose their chance to redeem yen certificates.
- Chief Justice Warren Asked to Change Stand on Evacuation in Letter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Edison Uno wrote to Life magazine and Chief Justice Earl Warren asking Warren to publicly clarify his role in the 1942 Evacuation and the constitutionality of the removal. Life printed only a portion of Uno’s letter, and as of the report Warren had not responded.
In-Depth
- History Project’s First Paper Out; Modell Commentary on Issei, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 2. John Modell, director of the Japanese American Research Project’s Issei Interview Survey, argues that Issei came to America lured by goals rather than driven out. Survey findings show most Issei felt their lives achieved success and that their generation played a useful role despite discrimination.
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